<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Marshmallow Kisses by ABeautifulBreakdown</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23764219">Marshmallow Kisses</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ABeautifulBreakdown/pseuds/ABeautifulBreakdown'>ABeautifulBreakdown</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Comic, F/M, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Love, Friendship/Love, Marshmallows, Stan Lee is a God, Tree Houses, oops I kissed him and he fell out of our tree house</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:00:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,741</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23764219</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ABeautifulBreakdown/pseuds/ABeautifulBreakdown</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>How do you tell your best friend you're in love with them when at fourteen you're not even really sure what love is? </p><p>Ben has been hers, he's always been hers as she has always been his. They read comics, they go swimming in the creek, they eat pizza and marshmallows and laugh because that's what best friends do. <br/>A story of two people brought back together time and time again.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rey/Ben Solo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Marshmallow Kisses</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>There’s something about that first love that never really leaves a person. It’s sticky, like those marshmallows that they brought to the creek but left forgotten in the bag all afternoon in the summer heat. The ones that still get eaten because they’re sweet and marshmallows have always been Rey’s favorite. Even though they leave her fingers still sticky after she’s licked them clean because that’s how any sane person cleans marshmallow goo off. There’s still that residue that lingers making them feel tacky and just a little sweeter. Something that doesn’t quite match up to the memory of how their fingers stuck together. Or how her best friend, the one she might have been in love with, somehow managed to shove seventeen marshmallows into his mouth all at once and still to tell her he loved her.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Stolen/inspired by <a href="https://twitter.com/supremelindz">Supreme Leader Lindz!</a> who shared <a href="https://twitter.com/supremelindz/status/1252042353998782465">this 
 tweet</a> and I had to turn it into something... I hope cute?<br/>I wrote and rewrote it a few times because it came across suuuuuper creepy the first few so here's hope this is a little more adorable then it is creepy</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> There’s something about that first love that never really leaves a person. It’s sticky, like those marshmallows that they brought to the creek but left forgotten in the bag all afternoon in the summer heat. The ones that still get eaten because they’re sweet and marshmallows have always been Rey’s favorite. Even though they leave her fingers still sticky after she’s licked them clean because that’s how any <em>sane</em> person cleans marshmallow goo off. There’s still that residue that lingers making them feel tacky and just a little sweeter. Something that doesn’t quite match up to the memory of how their fingers stuck together. Or how her best friend, the one she might have been in love with, somehow managed to shove seventeen marshmallows into his mouth all at once and still to tell her he loved her. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Memories are funny things, they get all tangled up in cobwebs and stick where you don’t expect them to. Like his face when she kissed him the first time, eyes wide and dark. That stupid haircut his mother made him get that just barely covered his ears. Ears he hated but she loved even though she could never really tell him that. He’d started growing his hair out after that summer. The summer he broke his arm after he fell out of the treehouse in Maz’s backyard. It may have been the kiss that caused it, or maybe he was just clumsy. That gangly boy who was too long. Too large in most aspects of his life. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The boy with the crooked smile and dimples that she definitely doesn’t still dream about. The way his hair swept across his forehead because he simply couldn’t stop playing with it. It was a nervous habit, a need to keep his hands busy. His hands that always seemed to twitch whenever she was around. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Ben Solo had been a funny kid, he just sort of showed up one day on his bike. She could hear him coming because he used to keep a baseball card clipped to the spokes. Apparently it made the bike sound <em>cool</em>. He didn’t have many friends, or so she figured. He was always around even though he was a few years older and she was just the newest foster Maz had taken in. He never made her feel that way though. He’d bring his comics and they’d climb up into the old treehouse Maz had in her back yard and spend the day reading. Sometimes he’d bring licorice and marshmallows because he knew those were her favorites. The sticky white goo that stuck to the roof of her mouth because the bigger ones were the best. They were fun to chew on and for some reason, Ben always liked pulling them apart. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Have you read this one yet?” Ben asks holding out a copy of an Avengers comic Rey has never seen before. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Don’t think.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> They’ve been in the treehouse for about half an hour now filling their faces with pizza and pouring over comics. As always Ben has brought a wide variety to read. It’s mostly <em>Marvel</em> with some <em>Dark Horse</em> and <em>Vertigo</em> titles mixed in too. No DC ironically because Ben thinks Batman is overrated. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “You should take a look through this one next…” He’s always trying to push the superhero angle which Rey honestly finds tiresome and overrated. She’ll never admit that though, Ben has been worshipping at the altar of Stan Lee since Rey has known him. If anything could destroy their friendship it would be ill-spoken words against Mr. Lee.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I don’t know, I like these Fables ones better I think.” Ben looks at her over the issue he’s pulling out of his backpack. He’s been laying on his stomach across the dark red carpet Ben’s father had given them for their little hideaway since he got there. A shaggy thing that looks like a teddy bear that’s gone through the wash one too many times. It’s old and smells faintly like earthy smoke and Cheetos if you put your face against it but it does the trick. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “What? no, come one,” Ben scrambles off his stomach sitting cross-legged on the strange shaggy surface, his eyes a mix of shock and disbelief, “This one has the Hulk in it though,”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Ben has been a huge Hulk face since he was a kid, long before Rey met him.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> It’s funny to think that that has managed to stay the same while so much else has changed. While <em>they’ve</em> changed. Subtle ways at first. Ben’s voice is deeper now and it’s stopped squeaking much do his chagrin. He’s taller, lankier, his body filling out in fine musculature from days playing basketball and riding his bike around town. He’s gotten facial hair too, at least it’s trying to grow. Small tufts of scruff pop up from time to time under his chin and around his lip. Rey learned pretty early on that it’s actually something Ben is quite sensitive about. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> There are other things, little things. His taste in music or how he tends to enjoy novels now more than comics. He still reads stuff about superheroes, but some of it’s not. He’s gotten into the classics barreling through novels like Frankenstein and Bran Strokers Dracula like they're small paperbacks. Still, he reads them in the treehouse. Curled up in the bean bag chair Rey is currently occupying or leaning against the back wall so he can stretch out his long legs.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Rey’s changed too, she’s thankfully out of training bras now though still a lot smaller than a lot of the other girls her age. She hasn’t gotten much taller, not like Ben has but her hips are no longer unimpressive. She’s developed the thighs of a runner, strong quads and a rounded backside that she know’s she’s seen Ben looking at once or twice. That’s another thing that’s changed. The way he looks at her. It subtle of course, like he doesn’t want her to know he’s looking but she catches him from time to time. The way his eyes scan her from head to toe, lingering on her mouth, or her hips just a little longer than he usually would. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> He’s careful around her too. His actions guarded and closed off. They use to curl up and read comics in the corner and now Ben makes sure he’s got a few feet between them. He smiles a little more too, not his usual broad crooked toothy grin but something quiet and pensive. Like he’s guarding a secret. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> It’s not bad, it’s just strange. He still ruffles her hair and he’ll hug her when she’s sad. It just sometimes feels like he’s not sure how to act around her anymore. Like some part of their relationship has shifted and neither of them can find their way back to where they were before. She doesn’t know when exactly it changed, it just sort of happened over time. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “You’re obsessed with the hulk,” she tells him playfully, looking up over her comic propped against there belly as she lies slouched in the old beanbag chair Ben usually occupies. “Is it like… a boy thing or something? Some ingrained need to smash things and you know, be violent or whatever?” She pauses with a grin as Ben’s jaw drops, “It’s the alien's thing isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “<em>No!</em>” he huffs, he’s a little flustered with her, she can tell by the way his ears pink just a little at the tips. It’s a true Ben Solo tell. It starts there and then works its way into his cheeks the more irritated or embarrassed Ben gets. Irritation usually stops with a light pink at his cheeks. Embarrassment on the other hand. Rey has seen Ben turn so red it creeps down his neck and across his collarbones. He was shirtless at the time. They were down at the creek where they liked to go swimming with their friends. Rey had been wearing a bikini top that she had borrowed from Rose, because Maz would never allow her to own such a thing, and a pair of cut off jean shorts. Poe was being Poe, a flirt and an irritant when he ducked behind Rey to hide from Gwen. How Rey was meant to fend off the tall leggy blonde was beyond her but Poe was using her as a human shield when Gwen swiped for him. Instead, she grabbed the string tie around Rey’s neck and Rey almost lost her top in the process. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Ben had been watching, telling Poe to grow up and leave Rey alone when the slip happened. She narrowly avoided being exposed but Ben looked like he was going to have a heart attack. She’d never seen him so red before. It was the first time she realized he maybe didn’t look at her as his kid sister anymore. </span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"> “I guess it’s just, I don’t know. I get him, or something. Like… I understand or I can relate I guess.” Ben's shoulders hunch a little as he shifts on his bum trying to get more comfortable, his</span> <span class="s1"> elbows resting on his knees, “Banner is a smart guy and he has this… other part of himself.”</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “You’re a smart guy are you?” Rey laughs and Ben retaliates by throwing a piece of pizza crust at her. It’s a half-hearted attempt, the crust landing on her bent knees as she sets her comic to the side. Clearly Ben has forgotten who he’s dealing with, food is not something Rey is ever going to let go to waste. Instead, she picks up the offending projectile and takes an exaggerated bite, stating him down as she chews slowly.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “You’re feral,” he laughs.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “You’re spoiled,” she quips back, savoring the spongey soft crust as it breaks apart in her mouth. Ben picked up the pizza from Babu’s own on Main on his way over. Their sauce is a little spicier but they use real hunks of pepperoni instead of the lunch meat stuff most other places use. It’s a little more expensive but Ben knows it’s Rey’s favorite. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> He’s always been like that. So aware of how she feels, the things she likes, the things she doesn’t. It’s how he introduced her to the Fables comics in the first place. He’d been down at The Resistance, the local Comic and Game store picking through some of their new issues when he came across the series. He bought a handful to start off with and presented them to her later that afternoon. At first, he said he thought they looked interesting, the concept unique. After some time it became painfully obvious that Ben had no desire to read them at all. He was a superhero guy, comics about Fairy tails weren’t exactly his thing.</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"> When she questioned him about it he simply shrugged it off but</span> he still always seems to have the newest issues on hand.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Yeah, well, perks of absentee parents I guess,” Ben says it like he doesn’t care but the bitterness is thick, “The Hulk is just… he’s badass. He’s strong, like the strongest one…”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Uh huh, what about that… that guy, the one who eats planets?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Galactus?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Yeah sure him,” Rey says as she shifts forward, her comic all but forgotten, “him, the Hulk can’t beat him.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Well… ok. No. But…” He's really regretting feeding her all that useless comic information now.</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"> He doesn’t need to continue, she knows she’s won and Ben knows it too. Even if he <em>can</em> pull some magical way the Hulk can beat a planet-eating bad guy out of his ass the fact is he conceded defeat. He gave Rey the upper hand and she has never been one to turn down an opportunity to rub it in his face, “Besides, I like Bigby better.” She offers smoothly as she slides forward in her seat. It takes a minute and some awkward angles but she's on her feet quickly moving towards the open window a few feet from where Ben is sitting,</span> <span class="s1"> “He’s kind of like Wolverine,” she bates but doesn’t turn to show him her hand. </span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> An indignant Ben scrambles to his feet, “You cannot compare Wolverine to the Big Bad Wolf.” he chokes out.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I can,” she challenges, turning her back against the window frame, her rear end sitting firmly against it. Ben hates when she does this, it makes him nervous which Rey delights in. She’s never fallen out before and she has no intention of doing so now. “and I did.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “One’s a storybook character,” Ben starts feebly, his eyes on Rey and the way her fingers grasp onto the framework around the window. He licks at his lip as his eyes take her in, a hesitant mix of nerves and fear which she taunts by rocking back and forth a little. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “One might argue Sir,” she teases, “Both are storybook characters.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Ben doesn’t seem to be paying attention to her teasing anymore, he’s too busy watching the way Rey rocks in the open windowsill. His eyes wide and filled with fear but maybe a little of something else too. She can see the way his Adams Apple bobs as he swallows, the way his hands twitch at his sides as he approaches her. “You know I hate when you do that.” He tells her steadily, and he has, hundreds of times. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Ever since he and his father helped to restore the old treehouse to its former glory Ben has hated this particular window. It’s large and faces the sun allowing the most amazing light to filter through in the summer. Large open windows are dangerous though when you’re a pipsqueak with a thrill-seeking complex. Ben would struggle to get through it. If <em>he</em> sat against the window sill his head would hit the top frame. Rey’s just small enough that the back of her head narrowly misses the bottom of the window. It would be nothing for her to fall, break an arm, a leg or worse. It’s why Ben hate’s it so much. He worries about her. He’s always worrying about her.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> She knows it’s cruel to tease him like this, kicking her feet so her thighs bounce in place. Ben’s hasn’t taken his eyes off her though and the thrill of that is enough to egg her on, “It’s fine Ben, perfectly safe,” She leans back to emphasize the fact, her palms and wrists pressed into the walls of the treehouse as she lets her back lean out into the open air.<br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ben swallows hard as he watches. His eyes on her hips, her hands, and everywhere as she laughs. Maz would kill her if she saw Rey doing this but Maz has her hands full with Wicket and Emmett, a pair of six-year-old twins who Maz took in a few years back. They were three at the time and just as busy now as the day they walked through the front door. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Rey… please,” Ben asks softly. He’s only about a foot away now and so on edge. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Ben…” She warns, “Say Bigby is better,” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Ben’s eyes bulge, “Seriously? Bigby is better, now get out of the window,” His voice trembles, his hand reaching out towards her. She knows she’s being a brat, it’s kind of her thing. Her way of driving Ben mad. What she doesn’t realize however is how much she's actually worrying him. His lower lip is wet and plump from his teeth worrying at it. Another one of his nervous ticks, a sign he’s legitimately worried about something.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> What’s truly interesting is the way he hovers there like he wants to reach out and grab her but he’s not entirely sure how to go about doing it. His eyes rake over her hands, the ones holding her in place and then her thighs lingering where the frayed cut off hem of her shorts sit creeping up her thighs. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> He licks his lower lip this time before worrying it with the edge of a sharp canine. He’s primed to move but he hasn’t so much as taken a breath. “Rey, come on, you know I hate when you do this,” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Her valiant protector, bringer of comics, provider of pizza and marshmallows. Her <em>Ben</em>, worried beyond reason. It suddenly doesn’t feel so funny anymore. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> She starts to rock back a little, preparing to launch herself off the window with a hop with Ben lunges forwards. He must have been afraid she was going to fall because his grip on her forearm is iron tight. Before she realizes what is happening Ben has her pulled hard against his body, pivoting them so her back faces the treehouse interior. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> She can feel his heart beating in his chest as he holds her close like this. One arm wrapped around her back, the other clutching her wrist beforeit slides to cradle her hand. It’s… intimate. Like one of those movies, Ben claims to hate watching. The ones he watches anyway because he knows how much Rey loves them. He doesn’t let go either not for a good long while. Holding her tight as he rests his cheek against the top of her head, “You need to stop,” he says on a whisper. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> She knows he doesn’t just mean this, not this one moment, this one incident. He means all the reckless behavior, all the awkward stunts that he hates. The things she does to get his attention because really, in the end, that’s all she’s ever wanted. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> This right here is all she’s wanted. His arms, his heartbeat, his smell wrapped around her.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There are so many things she wants to tell him, but how do you tell your best friend you think you're in love with them? How can she know for sure that's what this feeling is? She's never felt it, felt love, been in love. All she knows is that Ben makes her feel safe and warm. He makes her heart beat a little faster and she likes being around him more then she likes being around anyone else. She thinks about him a lot too, like when he's not around she wonders what he's doing and sometimes she misses him. Like a lot, like so much that it feels like something is missing deep inside herself. </span>
</p><p>His touch is electric even when his hand bumps hers while they're walking to the creek or when he bumps into her shoulder while he's teasing her about something. She's come to live for those moments looking for any excuse to touch him. Nothing weird, or like icky, not like some of the other girls talk. It's not like that with Ben. She's thought about it sure, about sex, the way a fourteen-year-old wonders what any of it would be like but Ben's not like that. At least, he's never been like that with her or even talked about those kinds of things. He's almost sixteen so she's sure he's thought about it but he's never made her feel uncomfortable. </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Still, his heartbeat hammers beneath her cheek, as he holds her close. She has to be the one to pull away as much as she doesn’t really want to because this right here? This is too much, it’s confusing and making her head swirl. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> She’s never kissed a boy before, a fact she’s sure Ben is very aware of. They don’t talk about this kind of thing but she’s certain he knows. Just like she knows he kissed Jessika Pava at a dance last year. Ben’s friend Armitage had told Rey when they were down by the creek one afternoon. Ben was washing off the mud Rey had managed to smother him with while she toweled dry onshore. Rey wasn’t sure then why it had bothered her so much hearing about it. Or why she always felt so possessive of Ben. He wasn’t her boyfriend, he’d never be her boyfriend. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Boys like Ben don’t date foster kids in hand me down clothes who know how to boost a car. Boys like Ben date girls like Jessika Pava or Armitage’s twin Gwen. Beautiful girls from good families with a future ahead of them beyond high school and this small town. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Why then, was he holding her like this even after she pulled away? </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The arm at her back gives little room for escape as he looks down at her now. His eyes wide and bright, like dark brown sugar and honey. The best way to make chocolate chip cookies. He could swallow her whole in a gaze like that, his eyes searching hers, looking <em>into</em> her, not through her. Ben is one of the few people in her life to actually <em>see</em> her. He lets her sit on the outside at the movies so she can go pee, he saves her the green skittles because they're her favorite. He gets her Babu’s pizza and brings her marshmallows when it rains because rain always makes Rey sad. He holds her hand in thunderstorms or calls her if it was too late and he can’t get to her. Sometimes he sneaks out late at night and finds her in the treehouse watching the stars. He knows these things about her, these small details because he listens. He opens his ears, his eyes, and his heart and he takes her seriously. Her hopes and dreams and fears mean something to him. <em>She</em> means something to him.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> That’s what his gaze right now is telling her. A statement without words, their most common form of communication. She could be reading him wrong, maybe she is. She’s not good at this kind of thing yet. She just turned fourteen a few days ago and she’s never kissed a boy. Loads of girls her age have done that and much much more but Rey never had any use for boyfriends or sex. She had Ben, she <em>has</em> Ben and he has her. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> He has her held so tightly like he's afraid she’ll break if he lets go. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Rey…” Her name sounds soft on his lips and what lips they are. Damp and full and sweet looking. Lips made for kissing if that’s a thing?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> She read it once in a novel Rose had lent her. It was filled with romance and drama and angst. The author wrote descriptions that made Rey blush so hard she’d given the book back half-finished. Now all she can think of is that one line. <em>Lips made for kissing.</em> Ben has lips like that. Lips she knows would be soft and welcoming if only she could get the courage to close the small gap between them. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Ben’s arm at her back lessens its grasp, their embrace nearing its end. Rey’s heartbeat thuds quickly in her chest, her mind reeling, desperate for this moment to last just a little longer. Ben seems to be coming to his senses. A boy like him would never be interested in a girl like her. If so why then did he look at her that way? </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> This was all too confusing. If she was going to act she needed to do it now but is it worth risking their friendship?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Could Ben ever forgive her is he didn’t feel the same way? What if he did and he was just nervous. Boys his age were notoriously stupid when it came to things like that or so Rose’s sister Paige often says. She could blame it on the moment, say she was confused, blame it on him?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> It only takes a second. Ben’s taller so it might actually take two to close the space between them but it happens quick. Rey pushes up onto her tiptoes, her hand sliding from Ben’s grasp as she wraps her arms around his neck. He stumbles a little and she can feel their teeth clack together. It’s unpracticed and clumsy as Ben finds his footing and then it’s suddenly not so bad. His lips are warm and soft making Rey realize maybe she’s being a little too rough. He doesn’t do anything at first and she starts to worry she’s made a mistake but suddenly she feels his shoulders relax under her arms. His mouth slants just a little and he’s following her into it. He tastes like Pizza and mint which is weird but oddly not unpleasant. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> When his tongue traces the pout of her bottom lip she gasps softly allowing him entrance. His tongue is warm as it presses softly against hers. A lazy stroke as his mouth moves ever so gently against her own. His hands resting at her hips squeeze just a little and he groans. At least she thinks it’s a groan, it sounds like one. A sound she finds she likes causing her to chase after it, pushing up a little harder on her toes. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> For Ben, the sound has a more sobering effect. He pulls back quickly, stepping from her embrace. His lips swollen and kiss stung, his eyes wide but soft and filled with something deep. He starts to say something that sounds like it might be her name the same time she lurches forward but she’s too late and Ben is tumbling backward out of the doorway to the treehouse. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> It happens in a sort of stunted slow motion. He’s there one minute and gone the next but it seems like forever before he’s hit the ground. There’s a loud holler and a lot of cursing but when Rey finally gets to his side Ben is sitting up. He has his arm cradled at the elbow holding it against his chest while his shoulder sits at an awkward angle. It looks grotesque and sore and it’s all Rey’s fault. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Maz is screaming from inside the house, while Ben nods to the pocket of his jeans, “Call my mom?” he grits out encouraging her to go after his cellphone. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Oh Ben…” without thinking she digs in his pocket awkwardly tugging his cellphone free, “I’m so sorry.” She whispers. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Don’t be,” he almost looks happy, happy but very pained. His eyes lined with tears as he tilts his head back and sucks in a harsh breath. Rey puts in Ben’s password without ceremony and dials before holding the phone up to his cheek. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> It doesn’t take long before they’re both being picked up by a frantic Leia. She doesn’t ask many questions to her credit, likely chalking it up to Ben being a teenager in a treehouse. Accidents happen and all that stuff. She lingers in the hallway on the phone while Rey sits at Ben’s side waiting for the doctor. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The arm is broken, the shoulder dislocated. One issue is an easy fix but Ben will need a cast and a sling for a while. Basketball is out for the summer but they’ll look into a fiberglass cast in a week after they check to make sure he won’t need surgery. Rey doesn’t say much while Ben cracks jokes and tells her it’s ok. He’s worried about her when she basically kissed him of the treehouse. That’s Ben though, forever worried about Rey and how Rey’s feeling when he’s the one being fitted with a cast. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> They can hear Leia talking in the hallway, she’s yelling at someone but trying to keep it quiet as she paces back and forth. Ben rolls his eyes as he watches her, mumbling something about his dad. His parents fight, it’s a well-guarded secret. Well, everyone fights but Han and Leia make it look like an Olympic sport. They live apart... kind of. Leia works a lot and Han is always on the road. When he is home, he’s usually drinking. Ben told her this one night after he’d snuck out and found her in their spot. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Taking his hand is a natural response. Her little fingers twining through his as he turns their hands over sitting palm to palm. “It’s not your fault,” he tells her again but she can’t look at him. He’s just being nice, trying to assuage her guilt, </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Hey,” his voice is a little louder now as he shakes her hand in his, “Rey, listen to me,” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> This time she looks up. She knows her lashes are lined with tears, she can see them starting to blot out her vision, “I’m so sorry Ben,” she moans quietly but his eyes are soft and kind again. They’re the eyes of the boy on the bicycle who stopped to talk to a lonely little girl drawing on the sidewalk with chalk. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Rey, listen to me, <em>stop</em>.” When she goes to speak again he adds softly, “please Rey come on. Don’t make me take back the Bigby thing.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> She wants to laugh but all that comes out is a ragged gasp, “Ben…” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Just, listen to me ok?”  she nods, “While I’m not thrilled I won’t be able to whip your ass at Mario Kart this summer I am really happy that…” the red of his ears spreads across his cheeks and down his neck, Ben’s nervous or maybe he’s embarrassed. Maybe he’s<em> both</em> because he’s suddenly not looking at her and it hurts. Like a rock in the bottom of her shoe but in her chest. That slight discomfort that if left for long enough becomes greater then the sum of all it’s agitation. “I’m happy you kissed me ok?” it comes out in a rush. A gush of admission that leaves the air in the room still and thick.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Unsure what to say she just gawks, her mouth open, dark eyes wide and lined with tears. “What?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I’m happy you kissed me,” he mumbles this time and it’s strange because it makes her chest feel warm and sweet and full. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> They don’t say anything else after the doctor returns. Leia and Han are still having it out by the time they’re ready to leave. Leia drops Rey off and tells Ben he needs a night in. It’s after supper now so Rey picks away at leftovers before curling up in bed to read one of the books Ben had left behind for her. She falls asleep thinking of the kiss how clumsy and awkward and perfect it was. Up until the moment Ben fell out of treehouse anyway. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> She awakens around three in the morning to rocks bouncing off her window. The night air is cool and fresh as she pushes open the glass. Ben is sitting hidden behind the old oak draped in darkness as he tosses another pebble. His cast lights up like a glowstick in the darkness which is kind of funny but also leads her back into feeling incredibly guilty. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> She waves quickly to catch his attention before grabbing her housecoat and pulling it on over her pajamas’. They’re a function over fashion item, a pair of sleep pants with cottony looking sheep on them and a plain oversized t-shirt which may in fact be Ben’s. She wasn’t expecting visitors but then again, she’s never really been one to care too much about how she looks. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Now though, she thinks, she might have a reason to.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> She slips through the kitchen and out the back sliding glass doors without issue. Her bare feet toeing through the dewy grass until she’s safely hidden on the other side of the oak. Ben is a shadow himself but for the vibrant white cast and the large bag of marshmallows he holds in his hand. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “What are you doing?” she bites out in a whisper. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Ben just shrugs looking utterly unperturbed, “You were sad,” he offers by way of explanation before biting into the bag of marshmallows and giving them a tug with his teeth. The plastic stretches before giving way, a struggled motion hindered by the use of only one hand. When he manages to get the bag open he grins, his pale features amplified by the bright moonlight. “Open,” he instructs, waiting for her to comply. “Come on… open,” he hedges when she doesn’t listen right away.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> There’s a marshmallow between his fingers that he’s holding aloft like a treasure. She offers him a small smile before parting her lips, accepting the gift warmly. His fingers linger against the swell of her pout as he smiles. “You’re an idiot, you should be at home resting.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Had to see you,” he mutters softly before offering up another fluffy treat. It's sweet and gooey puffing out in her mouth as she chews and chews. She's never known why marshmallows have this effect on her like they hug her insides once she swallows them. Admittedly their taste can be strange, their texture a little funny but maybe that's the charm?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> He feeds them to her carefully while she rips off pieces and offers them in kind. It comes with a strange sort of acceptance that whatever it is between the two of them is more than just a sloppy first kiss. Its hands held in the park and snuggles on the couch, it's shared dessert and dinners out and kissing in the back of movie theaters. It’s a sweet summer romance that ends abruptly mid-August. Not because feelings have changed but because Ben’s parents decide to get that divorce. The one Ben has been wishing they would for months now. He didn’t realize the divorce meant he’d have to move and he’s gone just like that. They’re three hours away by car which might as well be the other side of the country at their age. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> They keep in touch but it’s hard. Ben’s replies get shorter and more spread out. Then the phone calls stop altogether. Ben will be off to university and Rey will still have two years left of high school. She makes do, makes new friends, graduates with honors and gets accepted to several fine schools for her post-secondary education. Her background in foster care matched with her outstanding grades sets her up for scholarships to a few of her chosen schools. Life good, great even but she still can’t forget him. The boy with the sticky fingers who ate his marshmallows pulled apart. Who curated her love for reading and held her hand when she was scared. The boy with the crooked smile who was so shocked when she kissed him he’d fallen backward out of a treehouse in her back yard. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Yeah… First loves are a sticky business because when its a good one, it’s impossible to forget. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Planned on 3 parts, next chapter may involve smut... yes? no? thoughts?<br/>let me know what you think lovelies xo</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>